Showing the latest 30 articles

BY Patrick C. Miller A research team at Ford Motor Co. has come up with a potential low-cost solution to identify and track drones. As with registering and licensing a car, they believe making a drone identifiable to anyone could make operators more accountable. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerBoeing's largest autonomous systems program outside the U.S. will take place in the state of Queensland, Australia. The company signed a three-year agreement with the government of Queensland to develop a new generation of air and sea vehicles. READ MORE

BY Stony Brook University For the past 40 years, the total number of Adélie Penguins, one of the most common on the Antarctic peninsula, has been steadily declining—or so biologists have thought. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverAn electric aviation pioneer that founded a drone company in 2012 continues to secure its place in the drone-based delivery world. Yates Electrospace Corp. is testing and supplying a disposable drone-based box delivery unit to the U.S. government. READ MORE

BY Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration last week announced plans to expand testing of an automated system to speed up approvals for drones to operate in airspace controlled by an air traffic facility. The test begins in April at 500 airports. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerMiami-based Locust USA Inc.—a subsidiary of UAV Turbines—has signed a $19 million agreement to collaborate with the U.S. Army on the development of a small turboprop engine for unmanned aircraft. The engine will also have commercial applications. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerBased on feedback from first responders, Kansas State Polytechnic at Salina will in April begin offering a specialized UAS training course for law enforcement personnel. The four-day course will provide training for specific purposes. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverLockheed Martin will unveil VCSi, commercial software that enables operators to simultaneously control dozens of unmanned vehicles and conduct information, surveillance and reconnaissance missions at an event in Abu Dhabi this month. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverA major shift in aviation could be on the horizon according to the Aerospace Industries Association. In a new report, AIA states that large unmanned aircraft could encounter explosive growth during the next two decades. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverAs the commercial drone industry continues to grow, CustomWeather, Inc., a specialized provider of high resolution weather forecast and alert services, is seeing increased demand for its precision forecasts. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Interior With a fleet of 312 unmanned aircraft, the Department of the Interior's Office of Aviation Services flew nearly 5,000 missions in 2017 to support everything from fighting wildfires to monitoring and mapping missions. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverPrecisionHawk is doing more than its part to foster the global adoption of commercial drone technology. With the recent build-up of its drone service network, PrecisionHawk has bolstered its offerings in a big way. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. Miller Gryphon Sensors and WhiteFox Defense Technologies are joining forces to develop a more capable counter-UAS solution. Australia-based DroneShield has unveiled a book-sized radar called RadarZero that can detect drones up 820 yards away. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverGreenSight Agronomics and the Toro Co. want to enhance your golfing experience. Through a strategic minority investment in Boston-based GreenSight, Toro is hoping to bring its turf management abilities to a new level. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerIncreased safety concerns about drone use in and around Europe's airports should result in quick adoption of the European Union's drone rulebook, says the Airport Council International- Europe. It also released a position paper on drone technology. READ MORE

BY Intel Kicking off the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, viewers from around the globe were treated to a record-breaking light show during the opening ceremony that surpassed Intel’s previous record of 500 drones flown simultaneously in Germany. READ MORE

BY Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Drone delivery isn't just about speed and efficiency. It's also good for the environment, according to new research from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Using drones to deliver packages uses less energy and lowers cO2 emissions. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerAs the use of drones increases for hobbyist, commercial and law enforcement purposes, so too will concerns about privacy. Aviation attorney Kevin Moon with the Clyde & Co law firm outlines the challenges ahead from a legal perspective. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerDroNepal is proving the value of drones to conduct surveying and mapping missions in remote regions of Nepal that can be mountainous and heavily forested. The company is doing work for clients planning hydropower projects to generate electricity. READ MORE

BY PrecisionHawk Inc. PrecisionHawk has raised $75 million from a group of venture and strategic investors, bringing its total funding to more than $100 million since its founding in 2010. PrecisionHawk plans to use the investment to focus on innovation and acquisitions. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverIt's been a good month for drone software developers. In the U.S., San Francisco-based Converge received a $750,000 round of seed funding from a group of big-name investors. In the U.K., Altitude Angels earned $4.5M. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverAurora Flight Sciences is adding small drone collision avoidance technology to its suite of unmanned aircraft systems technology. Through a collaboration with California-based Socionext Inc., the company is now developing a nickel-size module. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide's College of Aeronautics and the International Association of Fire Chiefs are partnering to offer fire service education, training and certification opportunities. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerSentera has added elevation maps to FieldAgent, its software analytics platform for UAS precision agriculture applications. The map data can be used to increase efficiencies and create plans to improve drainage on cropland. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverA German-based venture capital group has invested in a Michigan drone service firm. Statkfraft Ventures, along with UL Ventures and Capital Midwest, has infused SkySpecs with an $8 million round of series B financing. READ MORE

BY Patrick C. MillerInsitu has successfully demonstrated a ground-based airspace system that provides commercial UAS operators with better situational awareness for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flying. The testing was conducted at Mississippi State University. READ MORE

BY Luke GeiverA U.S. Federal Aviation Administration unmanned aircraft system test site will soon be helping a Canadian-based drone company test the functionality and ability of a drone delivery system. READ MORE

BY Office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the launch of the new State Police Unmanned Aerial System program, which will be used to support law enforcement missions, including disaster response and traffic safety. READ MORE

BY Federal Aviation Administration U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that the total number of drones now registered with the Federal Aviation Administration has eclipsed 1 million. READ MORE